The New Path
by FlameOf
Summary: Fate is a fickle thing. It ebbs and flows on the whims of time and choice. Every action taken is a path to a new destiny, but sometimes, that path is decided by the actions of someone else.
1. Entry 1

Entry 1: The Path Opens (Part 1)

* * *

The white haired noble of two kingdoms stood at the cross road.

On his right, a man with long, brown hair, dressed in red armour, held out his left hand. "This way!" he shouted, though it came more as a plea.

From behind the man in red, three more individuals ran up beside him. The youngest, a red haired shrine maiden, looked as if she were on the verge of tears. "Big Brother?" she whispered.

From his left, four more people stood, the same gender and age ratio as the previous group.

"His my brother!" the youngest girl of those four shouted, looking rather distressed.

At the lead of this second group was a tall, blonde haired man in black and gold armour, holding out his hand. "We're your family," he spoke.

As so, the white haired youth was held in his internal conflict.

" _My family..."_ his thoughts echoed inside his head. _"Whom do I choose? The ones I've known and loved since the start? Or the ones who've been tirelessly searching for me?"_

The choice was beyond impossible. Regardless of whether he chose the path of Conquest or Birthright, he would regret his betrayal to the other side.

"Choose, Corrin!" the eldest of each side shouted in desperation.

"I..." he tried to say, but words failed him, "I choose..."

Then, an eruption of green, seemingly from nowhere, clouded all his senses, and the matter was taken from his hands.

* * *

Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière had, unfortunately, become accustomed to failure.

That wasn't to say that it stopped bothering her, by no means. It's just that it's become the norm for the youngest daughter of the Vallière line.

Which is exactly why she dreaded this day, in which the Springtime Familiar Summoning ritual took place.

Every other student that had gone before her had gotten something they were happy with, from cats, to frogs, to even a dragon.

If Louise was lucky, she might only get something small and useless, because at least that proves she has some level of magical talent.

"Now, I believe that's everyone," the teacher, Jean Colbert, stated. Maybe, if she was even luckier, she might just get away without the shame at all.

"Sir, Louise hasn't yet," one particular student, the dark skinned and busty Kirche von Zerbst, proclaimed.

So much for luck.

Feeling quite dejected, Louise walked up and stood before the summoning circle, doing her best to shut out any and all taunts from her peers.

"My servant that exist somewhere in this vast universe, my divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant;" her incantation began, and she felt her willpower channel though her body and into the wand in hand. "Heed my summons, and bring forth... my Familiar!"

The spell had been chanted, and the raw energy began to swirl at the centre of the circle, the sight was spectacular, and one might almost call it flawless.

If only the fact that the amount of energy being pored into the spell was too much didn't beg to differ.

Light began to shine uncontrollably from the runes, and ten orbs shot into the clear sky, before scattering in random directions.

The light finally faded, and in the centre of the circle laid a white haired boy.

It took a moment to the bewilderment to leave, and when it did, the rest of the student body began laughing. Comments of how something like this was 'So like the Zero' rallied around them, and Louise really wanted to give some form of retort.

But her attention was more drawn to this boy.

He was, at most, three years older than she, his hair messy, and as white as snow. His complexion was rather pale, and his clothes (armour, she might hazard?) were quite unusual, not of Tristain make.

"Mister Colbert!" Louise called to the balding teacher, "this person needs medical attention!"

Colberts eyes shot open, as he noticed the youth hardly moving. "An astute point, miss Vallière," he responded, slinging the boy over his shoulder. "All other students, return to the class for self study."

Before Louise could follow after Colbert, she noticed a sword laying on the ground where the boy was. Out of curiosity, she picked it up. The weapon was a copper like colour, and its guard had an intrinsic design.

Deciding she would deal with stuff like this later, Louise began running to catch up to Colbert.

* * *

Corrin woke groggily, his mind a complete haze.

"Where... am I?" he asked the vacant room, trying to remember just what had happened. "Let's see, a bright light, a strange sensation, and..." his thoughts finally clicked on the most important aspect. "That right! Everyone's..." he tried to get to his feet, yet found he lacked the strength, and his face promptly became acquainted with the floor.

"Everyone's... still going to be fighting," the prince grabbed the frame of the window, trying to use it as leverage, "I've got to get back, to stop..." the moment he looked outside, his brain froze in shock and awe.

He now realised why he felt hazy moments ago. Corrin was in an unfamiliar location, outside were strange people walking alongside some normal and some stranger creatures, "Just... what is this place?"

The door on the other side of the room opened, and Corrin turned to see a short girl around his age, dressed similarly to the people outside, and her head adorned with strawberry blonde hair.

"So, you're finally awake?" she asked, though it came to the white haired boy as more of a statement from a superior.

"I, uh... I guess I am," Corrin rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, but where exactly am I?"

"You mean to tell me that you don't know about the Tristain Magic Academy?" the girl asked, to which Corrin nodded. "Just how long has this commoner been living under a rock?"

"You'd be surprised," Corrin muttered, before pausing slightly. "Wait, did you just call..."

"Well, that's not important now," she interrupted, "from this day on, you are my Familiar."

The white haired prince did a double take, "A Familiar? Why would I be summoned as one?"

"How should I know?" the girl suddenly shouted, "But the runes on the back of your hand are proof of it."

With the faintest hope to prove her wrong, Corrin looked to see the mentioned runes on his hand. Lo and behold, there was a series of foreign runes etched into the back of his black and silver glove, and when he removed it, saw that it was also embedded on his skin, "Strange, when did that get there?" he muttered, paying some mind to the rather peeved look the girl was giving him. "Well, regardless, I really need to get back to where I was before."

The girl walked off, not bothering to respond to Corrin, whom was now running to catch up with her. "Wait!" he called out, "can I at least ask your name?"

"It's Louise," she responded with a huff. "Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière."

"That's..." Corrin tried to find the words he wanted, "quite the long name," he shook his head. "Well, I'm Corrin, nothing too fancy, and I really must ask you to send me back."

Louise pivoted to face the prince, "Well, even if I wanted to, I can't!"

"Why is that?"

"Because such a spell doesn't exist," she stated matter-of-factly.

Corrin let out a sigh, "Great, if it wasn't one thing, it's another..." his arms fell to his side, where he finally noticed something missing. "Um, where's my sword? And my stone, for that matter?"

"Professor Colbert has them," Louise said, "he's hoping that he might find some way to identifying you with them."

A slight sense of panic began to fill Corrin. "Well, he can look over the sword as much as he wants, but I really need that stone back."

Louise gave him a quizzing look. "Why in the Founder's name are you more worried about a stone than a sword?"

Corrin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the reason is kinda complicated..."

The noble let out a sigh of irritation. "Whatever, we'll see about it later," she stated, increasing her pace.

 _'I'm getting the distinct impression that she doesn't like me.'_ Corrin thought rather sarcastically, still trying to keep up with Louise's quick pace.

* * *

The night fell rather quickly, and the prince of Hoshido/Nohr found himself sitting on a pile of hay in Louise's room. Said noble was sitting on the large bed a few feet in front of him, glaring menacingly. "So," Corrin started, "out of everything you could summon, why are you so annoyed that it was me?"

"Because a mages potential is reflected by the Familiar they summon," she explained, still carrying that annoyed tone, "I would have rather summoned a dragon, griffin, or even something more domestic, but what do I get? A freaking commoner!"

Corrin caste his gaze aside for a brief moment. _'I hope she doesn't have to find out about that any time soon.'_ he thought. "Well, that aside, can you at least tell me where this land is in regards to Hoshido or Nohr?"

The pink haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Those are not places I've ever heard of," she stated.

Corrin's shoulders slumped. "They are literally the biggest kingdoms on the continent..." he muttered.

"What was that?"

The prince quickly averted his eyes, thinking of a way to change the topic. "So, if I'm your Familiar now, what exactly does that entail?"

Louise's posture straightened out somewhat before she spoke. "Look, a Familiar's job is primarily to be the eyes and ears of their masters, doing things like collecting any items requested."

"Don't know how well I'd do at those jobs," Corrin muttered.

A glare was shot at the prince to shut him up. Standing from her bed, Louise walked over to its other side, before tossing a large pile of clothes on Corrin. "And since you're unable to do anything like that, you're left with the laundry."

If it were possible, Corrin's jaw would most likely be on the floor at this very moment. "Um, why are you jumping to the conclusion that I know how to do laundry?"

The words fell on deaf ears, as Louise proceeded to undress right in front of him, causing Corrin to hastily avert his eyes. "I'll be expecting those finished by morning, Familiar," she spoke, dressing in a night gown and slipping into the bed.

Feeling that the conversation would be going nowhere else, Corrin left the room with the pile of clothing.

* * *

The halls of the Magic Academy were, to put it bluntly, absolutely baffling to the prince. With every corner he turned, it felt as though he was getting more and more lost, yet his mind wandered to different subjects.

Where his siblings ok? Should he reveal that he's royalty? Had his disappearance stopped the war from happening? Or had it actually caused it to escalate? These thoughts wandered like a mouse in a maze, distracting him enough that he didn't notice the person in front of him until both of them were already on the ground.

"Ouch," he muttered, shacking his head as he picked himself up, "are you alright?"

The person, quite clearly female, stood up and brushed herself off. "I, I'm fine," she spoke, and Corrin managed to get a good look at her.

To describe the girls clothing in simple terms, she was dressed almost identically to Flora and Felicia, Corrin's twin maids. Her hair was black and cut quite short in comparison to the aforementioned duo, and her facial features, from what he knew, were surprisingly Hoshidan. "Sorry about that," Corrin quickly apologised, "my head was kind of in the clouds."

"It's alright, I..." the maid trailed off the moment she caught a look at Corrin, from his unusual hair and eyes, to his cape, and even to his lack of shoes. After several seconds, she began to look panicked. "Uh, um... Are you, by any chance... a noble?" she stuttered out awkwardly.

Corrin let out a sigh. _'How am I going to explain this one?'_ he thought. "Well, it's some form of complicated," he started. Corrin really seemed to have become fond of that word, "I don't suppose you have the time to sit down and hear it all out?"

The maid now had a look of mixed confusion and terror. "It's ok, I'm not angry with you," he quickly waved his hands in front of himself, "it's just a very long story, and you're honestly the first person to ask me about it, miss..."

The maid quickly straightened her back, standing at attention. "Siesta, sir. My name is Siesta," she spoke hastily.

"Siesta," the prince rolled the name around in his head for a few seconds. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Corrin, and to put it in as few words as possible, I'm technically the prince of two kingdoms."

* * *

From atop her perch, the bespectacled blue haired girl sat, 75 percent of her mind was buried in the book she held, and the rest was pondering the most recent anomaly to occur at the magic academy.

Sure, as far as life here went, strange things were bound to happen simply for the fact that Louise was around, but this time was something else entirely.

From the edge of her peripheral, Tabitha could make out the form of said anomaly, in all his black and white attire.

There was something about him that was... off. Not in a bad way, mind you. If she were to put it into a nicer word, it would have to be 'enticing'. There was something about his air that seemed to attract her like a moth to a candle flame.

Tabitha had not seen much of the man throughout the day, only catching a glimpse of him trying to keep up with Louise after he woke up, and hearing him express his concerns about his missing items.

Personally, she wondered why he didn't wear anything on his feet, as it made it impossible for her to tell if he was some form of noble.

Yet now, there he was, washing clothes while talking with one of the maids, acting quite friendly to her. If this man was, indeed, a noble, then his attitude was one many could learn from.

From behind her, Tabitha's familiar, Sylphid, let out a 'kyuu' of intrigue, as her eyes too fell on the humanoid Familiar.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Tabitha manipulated the wind, so as to hear what the two bellow were talking about.

"So you're really being forced to choose a side?" the maid asked, though considering how far into the conversation they were, Tabitha knew not what these sides were.

"Yeah, but at least now I'm not making the decision on a spur of the moment anymore," the Familiar responded. "After all, I'm not sure how well I'd hold up by siding with either Hoshido or Nohr."

Hoshido? Nohr? Where these lands from whence he came? They certainly weren't ones she heard of. "Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I may as well make the most of my time here," he added moments later.

Before the maid could add anything more to the conversation, a series of yelling and hitting drew their attention, and in turn, Tabitha's as well.

"What do you suppose that was?" the maid asked.

Without a thought or word of hesitation, the Familiar dashed in the direction of the noise, the maid in close pursuit, and Tabitha not far behind atop Sylphid.

* * *

Turning the corner, Corrin and Siesta spotted the source of the noise: a group of three males, estimated to be around 16 to 17 years old, controlling steel golems to attack another boy, blonde, and wearing a frilly shirt, while a girl looked on in what could only be described as terror.

"Come on, Guiche," one of the trio spoke arrogantly. "Didn't you say you were 'going to make me pay'?"

Guiche de Gramont, wiping the blood from his mouth, stood up with a stagger. "I did say that, Kirth," he said wearily. "and I also said, that I would not allow you to mock Montmorency like that again!" swinging the rose in his hand, three petals fluttered out, and upon contact with the ground, became golems of bronze.

The three bronze golems charged forward, yet were instantly crushed by the might of their foe. Feeling a sense of panic, Corrin looked down at what he held in his hand, trying to ascertain how effective it would be as a weapon.

Said item was the washing board he was using earlier.

He barely gave it a second thought. Before Siesta could stop to ask just what he was thinking, the prince dashed forward, intercepting the steel golem as it charged Guiche, and deflecting the attack quite professionally, leaving all that were present surprised.

With a grunt, Corrin pushed the golem back, before turning to face the noble behind him. "Are you alright?" he asked, plain and simple, "you're not too hurt, are you?"

Guiche was, for all intrinsic purposes, quite bewildered at the light haired man standing before him. "I'm fine, but," he began, rubbing his rather sore arm, "why are you helping me? This doesn't concern you."

Corrin shook his head dismissively, "Maybe it doesn't, but," he turned to face the steel golem, and Kirth by extension, "if I see someone in trouble, regardless of whom it is, it's only right to want to help them."

Kirth and his two goons had rather smug looks on their faces upon hearing Corrin's reasons. "The fop is right, commoner, this has nothing to do with you," he spoke cockily. "Run along, and you may be able to keep your life."

Despite the uneven odds, Corrin managed a confident smile, "I'd argue that point. Compared to Xander's training, this is hardly a challenge," he twirled around, brandishing the board. "It's as I always say," the golem before him charged, and he responded in kind, "I won't surrender!"

* * *

A light tapping on the window alerted Louise, whom rose from her bed. She hadn't been fully asleep, but considering how close she was, it still irritated her.

Glaring at her window, the noble made note of a few things: first, there was the sound of weapons clashing outside, second, it was Tabitha doing the knocking, and...

Louise rewound her thoughts. Tabitha? At her window? Such a thing was unlikely, right? Rubbing what sleep remained in her eyes, Louise walked over and opened her window.

Before she could even ask why Tabitha was there, the girl pointed down towards the court yard, where the noise was originating from. Focusing her vision, Louise could make out several figures: Guiche, Montmorency, Kirth and his cronies, and...

Her Familiar. Fighting Kirth's golem. Protecting Guiche. With a washing board.

Louise gave the blue haired girl in front of her a confused look, to which she only nodded, as if to say that yes, this was happening.

Putting on one of the jackets from her wardrobe (they all look the same, anyway), Louise ran out of the room, muttering how it hasn't even been a day yet.

The moment she finally reached the small crowd, Louise noticed how the fight had escalated.

Firstly, the steel golem was rather beat up. Seems the washing board is more durable than appearances let on. Second, Guiche had summoned two of his bronze Valkyries to assist Corrin, at least he had that going for him. And lastly, Corrin seemed to be struggling with some pain in his head.

"Just what the hell is going on?" she yelled as she ran to her Familiar, "You step out for two hours, and you go and get into a fight?"

"Well, one thing just led to another," Corrin responded, though it was evident that he was in some sort of pain, if the shaking left hand and runes glowing intensely was anything to go by. "Listen, I've probably got, I don't know, five minutes before I lose control of myself, so I would really appreciate it if you could get my stone."

Louise had a new look of disbelief on her face, "How can you worry about a rock at a time like this?!" she yelled, "Look, if you just surrender this pointless battle..."

"Pointless?" Corrin cut her off, "You call stepping in to stop senseless violence... pointless?" his voice carried quite the heavy amount of shock, "I may not know how things work in these lands, but..." the steel golem charged, and before it could hit the prince...

A spear like appendage pierced the armour, and then retracted into Corrin's left hand. "I know that something like this, is just plain wrong."

Louise was left speechless, having just watched her Familiar turn a limb into a weapon and acted like it was no big deal. Then, she gave herself pause, thinking back to how he mentioned 'losing control'. Without a second to ask any questions of the light haired boy, she dashed off to find the item he requested.

* * *

Several minutes of running later, and Louise had managed to find the rather... decrepit shack that Jean Colbert used as his 'laboratory', and barged in rather quickly.

Of course, by 'barged in', we refer to 'door shattering from her weight, regardless of how light she actually was'.

The aforementioned owner of the laboratory was quite surprised by the action. "Miss Louise, is everything alright?" Colbert asked, both addressing the slightly panicked look on her face, and the fact that she managed to break down a door.

"Familiar... Stone..." Louise managed to wheeze out, "Need... Now..."

Colbert raised an eyebrow, but seemed to understand what she was asking, as he picked up the green stone that Corrin had at the start of the day, "Does your Familiar need this back?" Louise nodded quite quickly, "Very well, I haven't been able to find out what it is, so..." before Colbert could finish his sentence, he noticed that Louise had already grabbed the stone, and dashed out just as quickly as she came.

"Well, that was quite something," an additional voice spoke up, startling the professor. Colbert turned to see the aged face of the man he worked for.

"Old Osmond, when did you get here?"

The old man harrumphed at the teacher. "You forgot I was here? And I thought I was the one going senile," he responded, stroking his beard.

"I... I'm sorry! I'll just..." Colbert frantically tried to find an excuse, "I'll just make sure Louise and her Familiar are not in too much trouble!"

As Colbert left the shack, he still couldn't help but think that Osmond wasn't there before.

"So, this is how it will be, is it?" Osmond spoke to himself once Colbert was out of earshot. "I wonder, how will the boy handle this new fate?"

* * *

Things were starting to look rather bad for Corrin. Not to say the fight wasn't in his favour, oh no. It was looking bad for the reason that he was gradually losing control of himself, feeling his mind going feral.

The enemies golem charged him, and was cut off by Corrin's left hand, now a massive claw, grabbing in out of the air, and slamming it back into the ground.

The nobles were quite flabbergasted at the sight. "You... just what are you?" Kirth asked, using his magic to repair his golem.

Corrin didn't have the mental power remaining to respond, too busy trying to keep himself from a blood-rage.

A voice was heard over the wind, and while Corrin didn't quite get what was said, he knew it was from Louise, his summoner.

He instantly recognised the stone in her hand, which she quickly tossed his way. His left arm stretched almost unreasonably to it, and the stone began to shine upon his touch. The arm retracted, and his appearance was once again human, and the prince let out a sigh of relief.

"Kirth, was it?" Corrin asked in a rather monotoned voice. "You wanted to know just what I was, didn't you? Well," the stone in his hand shone even brighter, in collaboration with the runes on his left hand, as he threw the washing board to the side, "let me show you."

Raw energy erupted from Corrin's being, and once it died down, he was... no longer human in form.

Instead, the young prince had taken on a large, stag like form, though it wasn't entirely accurate. His body was scaly, and even though the form seemed to lack eyes, its gaze felt as if it pierced the mages very soul. "Do you see?" Corrin's voice echoed, "this is what you're up against." Stepping forward, Corrin drove his front foot into the steel golem, reducing it to dust. "I am Corrin, raised prince of Nohr, and born prince of Hoshido. My family is the descendent of dragons, and you are no match for me now." Craning his neck, Corrin's head was now level with Kirk's, "Run," he said plainly, to which Kirk did just that, his pose following quite quickly.

A moment passed, and Corrin reverted back to his normal state in a flash of light, slightly winded, but none the worse for wear. Turning around, Corrin noticed the extremely bewildered looks on the six people that remained. "So," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "you're probably going to want an explanation, right?"

* * *

The dining hall was largely vacant, save for the six humans, one dragon, and one half-dragon that currently occupied a single table. On one side, Corrin sat and recounted his story up to this point, how Garon, the king of Nohr, had killed Sumeragi of Hoshido, and raised Corrin as his own son. He recounted the final moment in his own world, before Louise summoned him, how he was torn in the decision between the two families.

"That's... almost hard to believe," Colbert said after a long pause, "another world, existing beside our own, and the proof of it is right here."

"I understand that it's hard to take in," Corrin began, "but I swear, it is the truth, at least, how I belief it to be."

"I don't think anyone's doubting you, sir Corrin," Guiche chimed, "after all, your abilities spoke for themselves quite clearly."

Corrin smiled lightly, before noticing Louise fidgeting around, "Louise, are you alright?"

"'Am I alright', he asks," she muttered, "I just treated royalty like absolute garbage! How can I be alright after learning that?"

Corrin offered a gentle smile. "Please, it's no problem," he told the younger noble, "if anything, I consider this an opportunity."

"Time to think," Tabitha concluded bluntly, to which Corrin nodded.

"Such a decision can not be made lightly," Colbert added, "and if you are as pivotal to this war as you say you are, then there is a good chance your siblings will try to hold it off on both ends."

"I pray you are right, Mr Colbert," Corrin replied.

Just then, a strange feeling washed over the air, as if the very fabric of the world was rippling. Everyone reached for their weapon of choice; wands and staffs for the mages, chair for the maid, and the dragon stone for Corrin. There was a blinding flash of light from above the table, and...

What was standing on the table when the light vanished was a blue haired maid, a silver haired butler, and a blue fish-like dragon clinging to a floating orb.

"So," the butler began to address his companions, "do you suppose we're in the right world this time?"

"I really hope so," the dragon responded tiredly, "I'd hate for a repeat of that last world, not to mention explaining it to the others will be more than a little tedious."

Almost all of the ones present prior to this trios appearance didn't have time to formulate anything to say, before Corrin launched himself forward, and bear-hugged the dragon in joy.

"Lilith, it's so good to see you again!" he stated in his glee, to which the dragon let out a squawk of surprise.

"L... Lord Corrin, is that you?" Lilith asked, trying to keep herself airborne.

"Yes, of course it's me."

"Well, that's certainly a relief," the butler stated, as he lifted Lilith from Corrin, so as he doesn't suffocate her, "we have been searching for you for quite some time, my lord."

Corrin turned his attention to the butler and maid, "Jakob, Flora," he stated, "I'm glad to see you two again."

"As are we, Lord Corrin," the maid, Flora, replied, giving a curtsey.

From the side, Colbert rose a hand, "Sorry to interrupt," he spoke, "but, who are these three?"

Corrin hopped down from the table, Lilith cradled in his arms, followed shortly by the two retainers. "Well, let me introduce them, then," he began, motioning to Jakob, "this is Jakob, my butler who's been personally attending me for as long as I can recall," he motioned to Flora, "this is Flora, she and her sister were much the same. I don't think I would have survived, if not for their company." Finally he held up Lilith, "And this is Lilith, for a time, she was also one of my attendants, but now, as you can see, she's a dragon."

Louise's mouth was, as one might expect, agape, "Oh, Founder almighty, he actually has personal servants."

"Actually, the proper term is 'retainer'," Jakob interjected quickly.

"And, the difference is..?" Louise couldn't help but ask.

"Well, for starters," Flora decided to take the question, "we get paid better, and the training helps in the long run."

"Training?" Siesta asked, "what sort of training?"

Just then, a knife appeared in both Flora and Jakob's hands, and the simultaneously replied with "combat".

"Speaking of which," Jakob spoke, twirling the knife, "which one of you had the audacity to summon not only my lord, just all the princes and princesses of Hoshido and Nohr, whilst they were on the cusp of war?"

Corrin lost his balance, and barely regained himself, "Wait, run that by me again, Jakob," he held a hand up to halt his threats, "you mean Xander and the others are here, in this world?"

Flora looked to the prince with a raised brow, "You mean they are not here with you?"

"No," Corrin replied, "I thought I was the only one summoned here." At that moment, a question popped into his head, "By the way, how did you find out about all this? It's only been about a day or so, right?"

"Well, for the most part, it was courtesy of Lilith," Jakob began to explain, "but after everyone disappeared, there were some... interesting developments, let's say."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Well, here I go again. Another FoZ crossover, and this time, with one of my favourite game series.**

 **Personally, I wonder why I write so many Familiar of Zero crossovers, and then find a way to take them in ludicrous directions.**

 **To hell with pretences, I just do this to have some fun.**

 **What does Jakob mean by 'interesting developments'? Well, I originally planned for the flashback to be in this chapter, but after it went past more than a few pages, I decided to leave it for next time.**

 **Now, for an overview of what I have planned for this story.**

 **Much like the story of Fates, there will be three major plots. However, unlike with Fates, these plots will be simultaneous story lines, rather than branching paths. Gods knows how someone would write branching paths in a FanFic.**

 **Well, we'll leave it at that for now, I'll go over it a bit more next chapter, and I'll see you all there.**


	2. Entry 2

Entry 2: The Path Opens (Part 2)

* * *

 _-Before Lilith and co. arrived at the Tristain Magic Academy-_

Jakob was, at the present time, minding his own business, yet his thoughts were wandering for miles on end.

He had heard nothing about Lord Corrin, or Felicia, for that matter, yet it was trivial in comparison.

So here he was, cleaning tea cups.

A boring, stressful day it was in Castle Krakenburg.

"Come to think of it," Jakob began muttering to himself, "I haven't seen Flora all day, either."

A light began to shine behind him, and turning around, Jakob was met face to face with a small blue creature, floating a few feet above the ground. "Jakob, we have a problem," the creature spoke in a surprisingly familiar voice.

"Lilith?" he asked incredulously, "what the devil happened to you?"

"Long story," Lilith replied bluntly, "but it has little to do with anything at the moment."

Jakob tapped his chin lightly, "Alright then, proceed."

"Corrin, and everyone, for that matter, has disappeared."

The butler gave a flat look the dragons way, "Yes, I know, they haven't been back for days."

Lilith slapped Jakob's cheek with her tail, "Not like that! I mean, they have disappeared from this plain of existence."

Jakob's eyes finally widened, "Well, why didn't you sat that in the first place?" he spoke back with a hint of both worry and anger, "When the hell did this happen?"

Lilith glanced out the window briefly, "A few hours ago."

"And do you know where Lord Corrin went?"

"I do not."

Jakob began to massage his temple, "Buggeration, this will be a headache," he muttered, "well, for now, we'd best get Flora caught up, we'll be able to figure something out."

A simple plan, one the dragon could agree with.

* * *

A knocking on the door echoed.

"Flora, it's Jakob," the butler called out, "there is something we must discuss. It is of the utmost importance."

No response, not even a sound to indicate life.

"Flora, if you don't answer in the next five seconds, I'm letting myself in, and I hope to the Gods you're decent. I do not want a repeat of the last time."

Again, there was no response, causing Jakob and Lilith to share a glance.

"Well, can't say I didn't try," Jakob muttered, placing his hand on the door handle, and giving it a turn.

Strange, he found, that the door should be unlocked, but time was of the essence, so he put off pondering this mystery.

The door slowly creaked open, and as the two peeked in, they found the room vacant of its occupant.

It was a pristine room, filled only with the essentials to make it liveable. Jakob could understand such a mindset, given Flora and Felicia's circumstances, and even relate on some level, yet even he had some form of personal decor to his chambers.

With slow steps, Jakob entered the room, and looked around for any sign of the blue haired maid.

Upon the desk laid an envelop, addressed to the butler. Curious, he lifted it and turned it around. There was no seal on it. Had he been expected to find it?

Taking the contents from the envelop, he read through the neat handwriting that he knew to belong to Flora.

Jakob's face quickly turned to a grimace. "Jakob, did you find something out?" Lilith's voice took his attention.

"It would appear," he began, "that Flora has returned to the Ice Tribe's village."

Lilith's eyes widened in surprise, at least, as much as they could, "When did this happen?"

"This morning, I'd assume," Jakob replied, sniffing the letter, "the ink still smells fresh." With a pause, he gave it another sniff, "And, is that _Cheve Noire_? It would seem Flora has a fine taste for perfume."

Lilith gave the butler a look of 'are you kidding me with this?', yet put that aside for the moment, "Then, we need to find her. If we have Flora on our side, then our chances of finding Lord Corrin and living are going to be much better."

"Agreed, let's..." Jakob froze, sliding the letter into his jacket pocket, "someone's coming, hide." His order was quick and to the point, and Lilith obeyed it without question.

Stepping in view of the door, Jakob saw the one person he detested the most. His hair was a sickly ink black, and looked as if it hadn't properly been dried. The man in the mask noticed Jakob just as quickly as he did, "Ah, Jakob, just who I was looking for."

Jakob suppressed a sigh, "Hello, Iago, is there something you needed?"

"Not me, per se," the sorcerer replied, "His Majesty has asked for you."

Jakob's brow rose slightly, "King Garon? Whatever could he want with me?"

"He didn't say," Iago continued, "only that he wanted to see you post haste."

"Very well, I shall be there at once." Jakob slid past Iago, and began making his way down the hall.

"By the way," Iago spoke up, halting Jakob in his pace, "what exactly were you doing in someone elses room?"

"I merely seemed to misplace my colleague," came the reply, "as you can clearly see, she is not in her room, so I plan to search elsewhere once my business with His Majesty is done."

Jakob continued to walk, paying no further mind to Iago, even though that sinister smirk was not lost to the butler.

* * *

The door to the throne room loomed overhead. Jakob never liked having to be in Garon's presence, but it was something he learnt to hide early on. With a shove he opened the door, and entered the presence of his king.

Almost immediately, he noted something was different. Something in the way Garon sat upon the white throne of Nohr struck him as different. Last time he saw, Garon had a sort of slouch, a glare that pierced even the thickest armour, and a general air that felt evil.

Now, his back was straight, his gaze, whilst intense, carried a calm demeanour, and the feeling Jakob got while in his presence was a calm reassurance.

"You wished to see me, sire?" Jakob spoke first, and much to his surprise, Garon stood.

"Jakob, just the person I was waiting for," the king said, and the butler quickly noted the... softer tone in his voice, "I trust Iago hasn't followed you?"

Jakob raised an eyebrow, "Not to my knowledge," he replied hesitantly, "is this matter something you don't wish him to hear?"

"It is a mission, Jakob, one I cannot entrust to someone like Iago." Garon strode forward, his footsteps echoing, "I take it you've heard of the disappearance of Corrin, my children, and the Hoshidan royals?" Jakob nodded in response. "Good, that saves us time. My mission for you, one I have given the rest of the royal retainers, is simple: find them, and keep them safe."

That was... uncharacteristic of King Garon, to say the least. Jakob couldn't help but feel surprised, "If you don't mind me asking, sire, why do this? Pardon me for being frank, but your actions up to this point would indicate that you see your children, and Lord Corrin, as nothing more than pawns."

Jakob felt as if he had just activated some dangerous trap. "You are right, Jakob, I have acted as such," Garon replied solemnly, "but know that, up to now, my actions were not my own."

"Not your own?" Jakob couldn't help but repeat those last words. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I am incapable of going into further details right now," Garon responded, "but I fully intend to pay that dastard back for what he did."

"Then, you plan to take an army to face this 'hidden foe'?" at this point, Jakob was feeling slightly sceptical. An enemy that had been controlling the entire war from behind the curtains? It seemed almost too good to be true, but it would explain many things, such as the dichotomy between the Garon that Gunter and Xander talk about, and the Garon of now.

"No, this is a fight I must do alone," the king said as he paced, "I have sent my childrens retainers to build a force, in order to protect them should things go awry."

"And how do you plan to build this force?"

Garon looked Jakob in the eyes, and gave a knowing smile, "I have ordered a cease-fire to the war, and the retainers are ordered to work alongside Hoshido to find the princes and princesses."

That was, as Jakob noted, a sound plan, and something any proper father would think to do.

Perhaps there was some merit to the kings claim. "Very well, what will you have me do to find Lord Corrin and the others?"

Garon smiled kindly, the first time in years he had done such, "Thank you Jakob, for putting trust in this old fool," he said softly. "To the north-west of the Bottomless Canyon, there exists a fort of sorts, run by a woman named Anna. This fort is known as the Dragon's Gate, it acts as a sort of path between worlds." Garon began running his finger along a map situated on the wall, "You are free to go there yourself, but I would personally recommend putting together a team."

Jakob mused the idea of a team, "Well, I do have a stop I need to make first," he muttered, before turning back to Garon. "Very well, Your Majesty, I shall take to this journey with post-haste."

With a bow, Jakob turned and began to leave, "My thanks, Jakob," Garon called out, making the butler pause mid stride, before resuming. Within moments, Garon was alone in the throne room. "Now then," the king muttered to himself, "it's time I got to work, too."

* * *

Now outside the gates to Windmire, Jakob and Lilith began to discuss the matter at hand.

"So, what will our first move be?" Lilith asked the first question.

"We make for the Ice Tribe," came the response, "I'm not foolish enough to think of doing this alone, and the only person I can think of to help, and trust implicitly, is Flora."

"Yet that means cutting through the Woods of the Forlorn, not an easy task with all the Faceless roaming around."

"Yes, but all the same," Jakob did a quick inventory search, he counted a bag of 10000 gold pieces, an iron knife, a steel knife, a mend staff, and a vulnerary, "it's my fight to take part in."

And so, his journey began, yet unbeknownst to Jakob, a fair distance away, a silver haired man, stationed atop his horse, watched his departure. With curiosity in his heart, the cavalier followed, maintaining his distance for the time.

* * *

The Woods of the Forlorn were as Jakob expected: unpleasant.

The air was humid, the ground was soggy, the bugs were irritating, and it was just down right depressing to be there.

On the plus side, though, there were no Faceless around.

Jakob let out a sigh, "Well, as much as 'uneventful' is ideal here, this is just dull and unpleasant."

"I can share your feeling, Jakob," Lilith replied, "but we shouldn't be tempting fate right now."

A loud crash was heard from behind, and the duo shared a look of disdain. With slight hesitation, they cast a gaze backwards.

What they saw was a hulking green mass of stitched together muscle and flesh, adorned with pikes, leather bands, and a mask with several holes in the face.

"It would appear that the Faceless have found us." Jakob was really not amused right now.

The Faceless let out an ear-rending roar, and charged the butler just as he drew his iron knife. With barely a moment to breath, the monster brought its fist down where Jakob once stood.

Now a few feet above the Faceless, Jakob tossed his knife, watching it embed itself in the monsters neck as he landed. Faceless were, thankfully, quite vulnerable in that area. One deep wound, and they were as dead as a scarecrow.

And years of training has given Jakob a good throwing arm.

Landing on mushy ground, Jakob sauntered over to the already fading corpse of the Faceless, removing his knife from the beasts jugular. "As always, these things are unpleasant."

A rustling in the bushed caught his attention, and turning around, he saw yet another Faceless.

Which fell to the floor with a javelin in its back, just as quickly as it appeared.

"What the devil?" Jakob questioned, as he began to hear the sound of horse hooves, and blades meeting flesh. A flash of brown and black dashed from the bushes the previous Faceless emerged from, and Jakob found himself swept off his feet, quite literally, and was now being dragged along by a man upon a horse. "What the heck is going on?"

"No time to explain!" the horseman shouted back, his left hand tightly gripping Jakob's collar.

"Wait, I know that voice," Jakob muttered, craning his head to get a view of the man in black armour, "is that you, Silas?"

The horseman looked back at the silver haired butler, and gave a friendly smile. "I'm glad you remember me, Jakob," he said, before his face turned grim, "but we have to save the reminiscing for later."

"What are you on about?" Jakob asked, looked the way they came, just to see a horde of Faceless charging at them. "Oh, that."

"You said you were heading for the Ice Tribe, right?" Silas asked, giving Jakob room to sit behind him, "I can get us out of here quickly, so just hold on."

"What, so you'll be joining our expedition?"

Silas laughed slightly. "You'll have to catch me up on the details, but basically."

Well, at least there was a new plus side to the situation. "Then you had best step on it, Silas, the Faceless are catching up."

"You got it," Silas responded confidently, giving his horse a pat on the side. "Let's get to work, Kane!"

* * *

The village for the Ice Tribe laid atop a snowy mountain, which made for unpleasant travels for the duo of knight and butler.

At the very least, Lilith was keeping Silas' horse safe in her 'Astral Realm' thing.

"Jakob," Silas stuttered out, "please tell me you know where you're going."

"Relax," Jakob replied, "I've been to the Ice Tribe a few times before. The important thing to note is: The colder it is, the closer we are."

"Then we may as well be on top of it by now, 'cause it's damn near absolute zero."

"You're over exaggerating," Jakob shot back, "if it were near absolute zero, we'd be dead already."

Silas shot a glare at the butler as he shivered. "If this was for anyone other than Corrin, I might have given up already, and gone home."

Jakob returned the glare. "No you wouldn't, you bleeding heart. Now shut up, and march."

Silas was about to let out another comment, before something on the edge of his vision distracted him. "Hey, Jakob," he called, "do you see that?"

Turning his gaze in the indicated direction, Jakob could barely make out a figure lying in the snow. "It's a person, that's for sure."

"Then, we have to help them!" Silas exclaimed, starting to move as fast as he could to the figure.

"We do not have time for that luxury," Jakob said, "for all we know, Lord Corrin could be getting eaten by mutant badgers, and you want to waste our valuable time on helping some inconsequential kid?"

"Well, what would Corrin say," Silas rebutted, "if he were to learn you left someone to die?"

Jakob paused, before letting out a huff. "Fine, do as you would. But don't blame me if we die of hypothermia due to this side quest."

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Silas continued jogging over to the collapsed person. It was a girl, he quickly realised, young, if her petite frame was anything to go by. Her attire, revealing as it was, indicated she was a mage of some ilk. Her hair was long, to the point of ludicrous, and she bore strange markings on her visage. Putting those thoughts aside, Silas slung her over his shoulders, and continued to trudge through the snow after Jakob. "Man, I sure hope we weren't too late for you."

* * *

Hours of walking later, and the pair finally reached the outskirts of the village. Despite the only source of light being the few candles that bled from homes, and the moon overhead, the air was a pleasant cool, as opposed to the biting chill from the journey.

"So, Jakob," Silas spoke, "what say we do next?"

"I would have thought that obvious," came the response, "I'll be tracking down the Tribe chief, Kilma. You will get us room and board for the night, and take care of your little friend."

And like that, Jakob continued to walk, as if the journey up till now had done nothing to exhaust him. "Yeah, go figure." Silas could only mutter dejectedly as he began moving towards the nearest building.

The building Jakob quickly found himself before was massive, at least two stories high, and surrounded by a towering wall. Fitting for the home of the chief and his family.

Jakob took a deep breath, and shouted "Hail, Chief Kilma! I, Jakob of Nohr, request an audience with you!"

The front door opened, and out stepped an older man with icy blue hair. His attire was that of a sorcerer, making it a surprise that he's hardly phased by the cold. "And you have his attention," he spoke calmly, as Jakob had expected. "Tell me, what does a soldier of Nohr wish for, to have come alone to our tribe?"

"I've a need to speak with your daughter, Flora." Jakob noticed the twitch in Kilma's brow. "She left a letter for me several moons ago, detailing her return. A situation has arisen, and I am in need of her expertise."

"And why should I trust you, Jakob of Nohr?"

"Because, as you said, I am effectively alone," Jakob motioned to the area around, "the only companion I've brought to the village is a knight with a bleeding heart, looking after a child we found on the outskirts. Should you so wish it, we are dead to rights. And I am no soldier, sir, I am a butler."

Kilma thought over the butlers situation. "Very well, then, I shall grant you the benefit of the doubt," he said, "but try anything, and I will kill you myself."

Jakob smiled lightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The inside of the mansion was just as grand, if not doubly so, than the outside. Paintings upon walls, chandeliers from the roof, plant life, this place was a dream home.

"Tell me, Jakob," Kilma interrupted his thoughts, "how do you know my daughter, specifically?"

"She and I are colleagues, in a manner of speaking," Jakob replied, "we both work under Lord Corrin, alongside your other daughter, Felicia."

"And why, might I ask, is Felicia neither with you or Flora?"

"That, my good sir, is part in parcel as to why I'm here," Jakob explained. "There was a mass anomaly at the forefront of the war between Nohr and Hoshido. I haven't gotten every last detail, but the princes and princesses of both nations have vanished without a trace, and I believe your daughter may have been caught up in it as well."

Kilma looked at Jakob in disbelief. "How can upwards of ten people just up and vanish?"

"I do not know, but I have, as of recent, come into custody of a means in which to find them. King Garon himself has even called a cease-fire to the war in order to search for his children." It wasn't a lie, but Kilma needn't know of the 'unknown force' that was behind the war.

"So, even that man still had a heart in there." Kilma mused the idea, and found a kind of relief in it, before stopping in front of one particular door. "This is the room Flora and Felicia used when they lived here, before Garon came and used them as political hostages," he knocked on the door lightly, "Flora, are you in here?"

From the other side, a small voice responded, "Yes, father, is something the matter?"

"Well, you've a guest that wishes to speak with you."

The door handle turned, and the familiar blue hair of Flora came into view. "A guest for me? Who could it..." he voice fell flat when her eyes met with Jakob's.

"I've a lot to catch you up on, first and foremost," Jakob said plainly, saving Flora the time of asking why he was here.

* * *

Silas sat before the roaring fireplace, and he could feel his stamina returning with his colour. "I got to say," the inn keeper, a pudgy old man, said, "when I first heard you were a soldier, I was about ready to send you back out there. But seeing that girl with you... It's a miracle she's still alive."

"You have my thanks," Silas replied, "I wasn't sure what I would do if I couldn't at least get a blanket for her."

"Aye, lad. Those mage clothings always seem too drafty. It's a wonder how Kilma puts up with it all day."

"You know, I've never actually met Chief Kilma. What's he like?"

"Ah, good old Kilma," the inn keeper leant back in his chair, "I remember when he first started as the chief. Lad had a knack for that job. He kept a level head at all times, and always tries to act in the interest of everyone here."

Silas let out a coo of intrigue. "Well, I'd certainly like to meet him myself." He spoke in curiosity, before his eyes noticed a stirring from beneath the pile of sheets besides him.

"Looks like your lady friends finally woken."

The sheets fell aside one by one, and the figure of the young magus came into view once more, and Silas could finally see her deep brown eyes, which carried a sense of wisdom to contrast her small frame. If he were to compare this girl to anything, it would have to be a young raven. "Finally awake, friend?" Silas asked, to which the girl merely looked at him with disinterest.

"Where... am I?" She asked in a small, tired voice.

"This here be the village for the Ice Tribe," the inn keeper answered. "This lad found you out cold on the edge, and brought you here."

"I fail to see why you would do that much for a stranger."

"Well, if I see someone in trouble, I'm not just going to sit back and do nothing," Silas explained, simple and true. "I'm Silas, by the way, what's your name?"

"Nyx." She spoke it as if she were disgusted by her own name. "I'll allow you the sense of gratification for saving me, child. But know this," her eyes turned cold on the knight, "not all who are in danger, wish to be saved."

Silas took more offence to that last statement, rather than being called child. "But, why? Why would you want to throw your life away? Don't you have someone back home, waiting for you?"

"Let it go, Silas," the familiar voice of Jakob entered the conversation, and they were also joined by the person they had set out to find. "It is as they say in Cheve: 'C'est la vie'."

Such is life. It was a popular saying used all over Nohr, and personally, Silas hated it. Such is life. Just the saying itself gives a sense of giving up, letting bad things happen to good people. It was, in essence, half of the reason he became a knight in the first place. If life was going to push people around, he would be the one to push back.

Before he could speak, a crashing was hear outside. "What the actual hell?" Silas shouted, running towards the window.

To his shock, there were Faceless, swarming the streets, climbing the walls, they were everywhere.

"Gods, what are the Faceless doing here?" Jakob muttered. "Did they follow us from the woods?"

"We don't have time to think about it!" Flora quickly added. "We can't let them just do what they want!"

"Agreed," Silas drew the steel sword he had on his hip.

* * *

Outside was twice as chaotic as it looked from within the inn. The Faceless didn't dash around, as much as they slunk ominously. Citizens were in a panic, as one might expect.

"Gods, this is..." Silas could barely find the words to finish his sentence. "How are there so many Faceless here?"

"They are far too organised," Flora noted, "someone must be controlling them."

"But the question is: who?" Jakob asked.

From a distance, an unpleasant, yet familiar voice shouted "Come on, you sacks of trash! Get to the burning!"

"Hans," Silas spoke in a low tone, "damn him!" Before anyone could add more comment, Silas dashed off, iron lance and steel sword in hand.

"Silas, wait!" Jakob tried to follow, only to find himself and Flora surrounded by the Faceless. Standing back to back, the maid and butler drew their knives. "Damn, looks like we'll be preoccupied first."

"Oh, the knights the least of your worries," an all to familiar and grating voice spoke. A magic circle formed formed on the ground, and the familiar figure materialised in.

"Iago, you swine," Jakob cursed, "you followed us?"

"But of course," Iago shrugged, a dark tome in one hand. "After all, it would be no fun to just let you imbeciles have your happy ending, would it?"

Jakob bit the inside of his cheek. "Well, as much as I don't hate to admit it," he muttered, "I'm going to have fun killing you, you sack of wyvern dung."

* * *

Numerous Faceless fell to the blades of Silas. A fire burned behind his eyes, filling him with an unbridled rage. At the distance, he could make out the figure of Hans, whom was mercilessly slaughtering citizens left and right, as if he were merely swatting flies.

Such wrong doings would not sit with the knight, as he brought his sword high. "Hans!" With a mighty leap, Silas brought his sword down upon the axe fighter.

And he immediately felt fear upon see the weapon Hans used to block his strike.

It wasn't so much an axe, as it was akin to a pick. It design was a deep brown with red highlights, and its sheer weight could be felt through Silas' sword.

"What wrong, 'hero'?" Hans taunted, "afraid because of my little toy?"

"How... how was someone like you given the Aurgelmir?" Silas asked, hopping back a few paces.

Aurgelmir, one of Nohr's legendary weapons, surpassed only by the Siegfried and Brynhildr. An axe of amazing power, with the drawback of being ludicrously heavy. Every swing would leave the wielder winded, no matter how strong they were.

"Well, consider it a gift from our generous king." Hans swung wide and hard, to which Silas barely dodged.

Silas began to retaliate, coming at Hans from the side, only for it to prove ineffective. The Aurgelmir was too tough in its make to be harmed by a steel sword. Hans swung the blunt end at Silas, and since his guard was too low, he took the brunt of the attack, and was sent flying.

"What's wrong, little knightling?" Hans taunted, "don't you have what it takes?"

Silas felt his shield arm. No good, the bones were broken. He would have to rely on pure offencive capabilities.

"This senseless slaughtering, this pure chaos," he muttered as he charged the ex-criminal, "I won't allow it!" With a false swing to make Hans raise his guard high, Silas slashed him across the belly, making him recoil. "Fall, so that others may live!" His sword thrust forward, straight and true, and found its mark in Hans' heart.

"Damn... it..." Hans spat, "it... wasn't suppose to... end like this..." His body fell to the snow, and with little regard, Silas pulled his sword from the corpse.

Adding the Aurgelmir to his inventory, Silas went to try and reconvene with Jakob and Flora, only to find himself surrounded by Faceless. "Blast, no way out of this one," he cursed his poor luck.

As a turnaround, however, balls of fire and bolts of lightning rained down upon the monsters, reducing them to ash. In his surprise, Silas surveyed the area to find the caster, and spotted the familiar girl akin to ravens. "Nyx? You saved me?"

"Let's just say I'm repaying a debt," she responded. "Do unto others as you would have done unto you, I suppose?"

Silas smiled softly. "So, there is someone in there wanting to be saved?"

"You mistake me," Nyx responded, jabbing the knight in the side of the leg. "I never said I was a death seeker, I merely meant to imply that, if death finally came for me, I would embrace it."

"But, such a life is just too sad," Silas replied softly. "Don't you have something, anything, to live for?"

"Of course I don't, monsters like myself have no place."

If his arm wasn't broken, both his fists would have clenched, but he settled for the one. "I'm not sure what happened in your past, Nyx, but you're not a monster," he spoke the words as truly as he could, surprising the petite magus. "If you were a monster, would you still be here, helping us?"

Nyx's eyes widened slightly, before she chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you may have a point," she said. "Tell me, what is your mission, exactly?"

"My mission?" Silas pondered how to answer. "Well, outside of helping who I can along the way, Jakob and I are looking for someone. To me, they are an irreplaceable friend."

"A friend, is it? And what if they do not remember you?"

"That doesn't matter," he stated plainly, "so long as I can be of help to them, I'll be fine."

The magus gave a perplexed look, before smiling slightly. "It seems you've a lot of faith in this person," she muttered, "I can't help but feel curious about them myself."

Silas looked surprised. "Does that mean..."

"You're dire need of magic users in your group, are you not? Then allow me to be of assistance."

* * *

Standing back to back on a mountain of Faceless corpses, Jakob and Flora let out ragged breaths.

With Silas off fighting Gods-know-who, the duo had to rely solely on their ability to dodge the foes as they came, which thankfully, wasn't too hard.

What was a pain, however, was the sorcerer atop the buildings, launching dark magic at them.

"Come now, Jakob, is that the best you have?" Iago taunted, as a ball of blackness launched from his hands.

"How can one person be as cruel as him?" Jakob muttered, his knife removing the head of another Faceless. "Did you follow us all the way from Nohr?"

"Naturally," Iago replied, "I couldn't just pass up a chance like this. Look at it," he motioned to the destruction around, "look at this beauty."

"You're a twisted man, Iago," Flora spat, "how can you take joy for something so senseless?"

"It's simple really, not that I'd expect someone as base as you to understand."

Another ball of darkness was shot their way, yet it was intercepted by several shards of ice. Turning in the direction of the other caster, they were surprised to see Kilma standing there, Fimbulvetr tome in hand. "You barge into my tribe, assault my people, threaten my daughter and her friends," Kilma spoke in a levelled rage, "and you think you can just get away with it? You'd best prepare yourself for the afterlife, Iago."

Iago scoffed at the tribe leader. "Do you really think you can match me?" he taunted.

"Father, be careful!" Flora called, "He's hardly a pushover!"

"I'm aware of that, my child," Kilma responded, "but that only means I'm the one fit enough to face him. So please," he gave his daughter a kind look, before glaring daggers into Iago, "allow this aged man to put this child in his place."

"Hmph, try me, old man." Iago launched a fire ball the size of a wyvern at Kilma. The attack connected, and there was no visible damage.

To say Iago was surprised was an understatement, he was completely bewildered. "This is Garon's best? I'm actually disappointed," Kilma spoke with the tone of an underwhelmed teacher. "It makes me wonder why we've been forced to serve him, if this is what he considers his court sorcerer." The tome in his hands floated before him, and a series of glyphs began to circle around, building up power. "Prepare for oblivion, Iago."

"Wa...wait, I can..." his pleas were cut off by countless icicles piercing his body from all directions. Coughing up blood, Iago tried to fire a spell of his own, only for a knife to pierce his hand. Casting his glare to the side, his eyes landed on the blue haired maid. "Damn... you all..."

Iago fell from the roof, and bled out into the snow.

When Silas and Nyx rejoined, and caught sight of the new corpse, it was obvious that victory was in their hands.

* * *

 _Present day._

The sound of horse hooves rhythmically clopping echoed the barren dirt road. Breathing in the air of Halkeginia, Silas let out a sigh.

As with the last few worlds -he was still getting use to that being a thing-, he had taken on the job of scouting the general area that Lilith planned to warp the main party to.

Of course, it wasn't so bad. The clouds were not as bad as they were in Nohr, and from what he gathered earlier, the sun rose and set, as it always should.

Something so small and menial wouldn't mean much to some people, but to a proper Nohrian, it was always a breathtaking sight.

The sound of carriage wheels drew the knight from his daze. Casting his gaze forward, Silas noticed the origin of the sound slowly coming into view. The carriage looked more like the kind to cart prisoners, as opposed to nobles, and it travelled in the same direction he did.

Pulling the hood of the cloak he wore up, Silas directed his horse into the bushes on the side of the road, planing to draw as little attention as he could to himself.

He found it strange that it should be heading in the direction of Team Lilith, but maybe it was just a coincidence.

Pull close to the carriage, yet far enough not to draw the attention of the soldiers on the side, Silas squinted to see whom was within the bars, partially expecting to see stereotypical villain types.

Instead, what he saw was a familiar pink haired maid, and an unfamiliar woman with blue hair. They both looked slightly worn out, but none the worse for wear.

With a flick of the reigns, his horse galloped ahead, and cut the carriage off.

From the front of the carriage, a wealthy looking man stood up. _'Gods, his moustache looks ridiculous,'_ Silas thought, catching the barest of glimpses in the moonlight.

"You have a lot of nerve, cutting of the royal messenger," the man spoke. "Who are you, plebian, to intervene with the business of Count Mott?"

" _I am going to enjoy hurting him way more than I should,'_ Silas silently chastised himself, before drawing his sword. "My business is with those women you unjustly hold captive. They are friends of mine, and I will only ask you once to kindly release them."

"You have some guts," Mott all but hissed, "to be making demands of me. I will not release what is rightfully mine, and all you shall get is a blade in your gut."

"Then, your fate is sealed," Silas cursed lightly under his breath, really hoping to not have to fight on such a nice night. "Know this, Count Mott. You face one of the finest knights of Nohr," readying his lance, Silas noted the four guards that stationed themselves between him and his target. "You will not get my name, only know this:" with a shout, his horse charged forward, "you face the Hood of Cyrkensia! Come, may your foolishness stain the ground with your blood!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Welp, two entries so quickly.**

 **I feel I might have fun with this one.**

 **In any case, there's the flashback I originally planned for the last entry, but then it got too damn long. At least we get to end in Halkeginia.**

 **So, now I feel I can go over just how this story will be structured.**

 **Much like the endgame of Radiant Dawn, this story is largely going to be in three main bodies, which I shall call: Zero Dragon, Loyalty and Necessity, and Redemption.**

 **First is Zero Dragon, which I think is quite obvious: The story of Corrin, Louise, and the journey to find the missing royals.**

 **Loyalty and Necessity will follow the retainers as they build up a small army between Hoshido and Nohr, and try to regroup with their lords. This one will probably get less focus than the others.**

 **Finally, Redemption, which I don't think needs explaining, but I will anyway: Garon's task of finding the one whom has been controlling him, and getting vengence.**

 **Whether or not there will be twist along the way, only time will tell.**

 **Also, the name of Silas' horse, Kane, was a bit of creative liberty, and a shout out to Sophie's horse, Avel.**

 **Kane, Avel, I think the joke explains itself.**

 **Till next entry.**


	3. Entry 3

Entry 3: Journeys Start

* * *

Louise was spending a lot of time processing everything that had happened over the past day.

First and foremost: her Familiar, Corrin, was a prince of two warring nations. And a dragon, mustn't forget dragon.

Secondly: he had servants, one of which, was also a dragon. A very fish like dragon, but none the less.

Thirdly: she had managed to form some semblance of friendship with Tabitha, on account that said blunettes Familiar, also a dragon, enjoyed the company of Louise's Familiar and servant/friend.

Honestly, there were now too many dragons in her life.

Was it possible to have too many dragons? Only if one was large and childlike, and another shaped like a deer.

Well, on the plus side, one of the other two people that came with Lilith, Nyx, if Louise remembered correctly, was nice to be around. Sure, she claimed to be much older than most everyone around, but her abilities with magic, and her... petite figure.

It gave Louise the slightest bit of hope.

Then, there were the two servants that arrived with Lilith.

Louise found herself questioning some parts of Jakob's tale, but as a whole it held some honesty. She questioned whether this 'third party' that was brought up was genuine, or some contrived excuse this Garon person made up. Corrin leapt to the butlers defence, claiming that Jakob has a sort of knack for pulling lies and truths apart.

Louise's sceptic minded brain still held a shadow of a doubt.

And then there was the maid, Flora, whom shared in some of her scepticism.

"Well, only time will tell, I suppose," Louise muttered quietly.

As for what she and her petite fellows were doing whilst they watched dragons play? According to Jakob, this Silas person was sent ahead of time to scout out the area, and should be returning by noon.

Upon hearing the sound of hooves on the dirt, the group knew that time had come.

The moment they faced the entryway of the academy, a horse galloped through, with three figures seated upon it. The sole male, the one steering the horse, had a cloak draped over black armour, and a head of silver hair, the first female behind him was dressed identically to Flora, only with a blue broach and pink hair tied in a single tail. Finally, the last female was an elegant girl dressed in white, with light blue hair that flowed like the waves.

Corrin was quick to recognise the two females. "Azura! Felicia!" He called, reverting back to his human form.

"That voice," the blue haired woman, no doubt Azura, muttered in surprise, "Corrin?"

The two shared a quick embrace, whilst Flora ran towards the pink haired maid. "Felicia, are you okay?"

"Sister? What are you doing here?" Felicia responded, only to quickly embrace Flora.

The cloaked male, the one assumed to be Silas, gave a warm smile to the scene. "As much as I'd like this to continue," he spoke, "I'm afraid we have a more pressing matter at hand."

Corrin, having stepped away from Azura, walked towards the knight. "You have my thanks, sir, but what do you mean by 'more pressing matters'?"

Silas flinched, as if he were expecting to be address differently. "Well, to put is simply, Corrin," he spoke, "when I found these two, they were in the custody of some man named Mott, and after taking down his guards, I took these two back here."

"And I'm trusting you also left this Mott person incapacitated?" Flora asked.

As if to answer the question, an ice spear shot past Silas's head, though he hardly flinched. "To answer your question, Flora: No. No I did not."

Louise knew from the start that this wasn't going to be good, and that only solidified when another horse rode in, the man upon it much more regal in bearing, and looking absolutely livid. That was Count Mott, the royal treasurer, someone Louise personally hated, but would not say outright.

"You have a lot of nerve, ruffian," Mott hissed, "taking my servants, and having the audacity to come to a place for nobles. Did you think you could sell them yourself?"

"Sell? No," Silas replied, turning his horse around, "I would never sell a friend, or someone close to a friend. I am merely returning them to where they belong, and you have no place to judge me."

"Still your tongue, wretch," Mott levelled his wand at Silas's head. "You have no right to tell me, a noble, what to do."

"Then, there is only one way this will go," Silas held his sword level with Mott's wand. "Making people suffer just because you benefit from it will not fly with me. I don't care if you're a noble. In the name of my friend, Corrin, prince of Nohr, I will strike you down, and protect the people he cares about."

"Tough words," Mott's horse reared back, and Silas' mimicked, "let's see if you can keep to them!"

"Try me!"

* * *

A few days later, and things had taken a turn for the worse.

Mott was the royal treasurer, and as such, he held a great deal of influence, and now he's dead.

This was the reason Silas was before the courts, being charged with first-degree murder.

Unfortunately for Corrin, he wasn't in any position to try and defend the knight, as none would believe him if he claimed to be a prince right then and there.

As such, he, Louise, Lilith, Azura, Felicia, and Flora, were at the front of the public seating area, waiting for this storm to begin. The tension was too high for them, and as such, they didn't notice the absence of both Jakob and Nyx.

The judge, a mangy looking old man with an unpleasant glare, took a seat on the highest chair. "Now, let's not waste any more time on this farce than we have to," he spoke.

With a slight twitch of the brow, Corrin leant over in Louise's direction. "Hey, Louise," he whispered quietly, "who exactly is this judge?"

"His name is Rosmond de Funkeln," she whispered back, "and he's both the supreme judge, and a close friend to Count Mott. As much as I'd hate to say it, I don't think you're friend will be getting out of this one easily."

Corrin bit back a bitter feeling. Truth be told, he only had the faintest recollection of Silas, but that was a problem for another day.

"So, the reports says your name is 'Silas'?" Rosmond spoke with a slight mock in his voice. "Tck, how pathetic, a filthy commoner like you, taking a name fit for a noble, and murdering my good friend."

"I object," Silas shouted, seeming to surprise the judge with his fearlessness. "First off, I'm not 'taking' any names, as I am a proud knight of Nohr. And more importantly, Count Mott died because he attacked me and the people I care for first."

Rosmond's eyes locked with Silas', and a glare of hatred was shared. "You have nerve, mongrel, to talk to your betters like that." The indignation in his voice was clear as a cloudless sky. "And to claim yourself a noble, when you are incapable of using magic? What sort of farce do you take this court for?"

"For starters, one that doesn't take the desire to protect ones friends into account, or one that operates under the 'innocent until proven guilty' mindset." Silas retorted as calmly as ever, to the point that Corrin was wondering if he'd been through this sort of thing before. "And this is not to mention the fact that you don't seem to want to allow me to plead my case, do you?"

Rosmond winched in surprise, as murmurs filled the courtroom. "Fine then, state your 'reasoning' for murder, you insolent pup."

Silas allowed himself a small smile. If that was all it took to stir his ire, than this mockery of the justice system might not be so hard. "Then, to start at the beginning," he stated, "I came here alongside my lord, Corrin, and two companions, his servants, known as Jakob and Flora. The reason we're here, is because we are, or were, in search of two women, the songstress Azura, and the maid Felicia. Lord Corrin sent me out alone on that particular night, and lo and behold, I stumble upon them, being held against their will by your friend."

"You dare accuse Mott of such things, you pup?!"

"I'm not done yet," Silas held his hand up, cutting any further shouting off. "As I was saying, I tried to parley with Mott, tell him that my lord would like his servant and friend back. As you can tell, he took exception to that."

"And you expect the court to believe this... tall tale you've constructed?" Rosmond was beginning to look as if he'd just eaten the spiciest meal imaginable, as his cheeks were as bright as humanly possible.

"That is what one is suppose to do with the truth, isn't it?" a new voice caught all off guard. The doors to the courtroom swung open, and in stepped two figures. The speaker, the male of the two, was sharply dressed, with silver hair in a single tail, and the female he was with, with raven hair, wore a heavy cloak over her petite figure. From their spots, Corrin and company instantly recognised them as Jakob and Nyx.

"And just who are you mongrels?" Rosmond shouted furiously.

"How awfully presumptuous of you," Nyx replied coolly, "but if you must know, this gentleman here is Jakob, Corrin's butler. And I," holding out her right hand, Nyx formed a moderately sized chunk of ice, "am known as Nyx, Corrin's fiancé ."

From the audience, the two maids, songstress, and noble, all looked towards the prince in confusion, and he returned such a look. "Don't look at me, this is the first I've heard of it." Corrin's response came quietly.

Rosmond de Funkeln began sweating bullets. It was impossible to deny that this girl was a mage, and thereby, a noble. By that logic, that would mean this Corrin person was also a noble of sorts, and therefore, give absolute credence to the defendants story. Which meant... which meant...

"You're charges are now null and void, good sir," Jakob concluded the thought. "With milady's testament, you can safely conclude that Silas here, is guilty of nothing more than self defence, and the defence of his peers."

Rosmond fumbled around for words to use, and came up short. "So, oh supreme judge," Nyx started, "will that be all?"

* * *

Barely an hour later, and the group of nine were already walking the streets of Tristain's capital, as if nothing had happened in the first place.

"I have to say, Nyx," Silas began, looking at the raven haired girl, "you really saved my skin back there, so thanks."

"Think nothing of it," Nyx replied. "I am merely repaying you, since you did keep me from dying outside the Ice Tribe."

"As great as it was," Corrin added, "why did you pretend to be my fiancé?"

"Personally, I was against it," Jakob answered, "but Nyx made a good point that Silas getting executed would be detrimental to our progress."

"And besides, it would be effective, given the situation," Nyx continued. "Consider the fact that Silas only mentioned you as his lord. That alone could have easily been waved off, yet with someone like myself, with skills in magic, which they hold so highly..."

"They wouldn't be able to deny Corrin's importance," Louise finished for them, easily putting the pieces to this puzzle together.

Nyx chuckled slightly. "It seems there is some hope for the current generation."

Louise's brow twitched. She wasn't sure how she felt about someone that looked her age making comments about 'current generation' things, even when she had heard the claims of her being much older.

A moment of silence passed, and Corrin decided to speak the thought on his mind. "By the way, where are we going?"

Louise pointed ahead, putting into view an aged, wooden sign, depicting a blade upon an anvil. "Chances are, Professor Colbert won't be done trying to study that sword of yours for some time, so you're going to need something for the time."

"It's a fine idea, really," Azura followed up, "and I think we could all do with some new weapons. I feel helpless without a lance of some kind."

"Agreed," Felicia added. "That nasty old man took all my knives."

Corrin let out a light chuckle. It seemed to him that everyone here would be able to get along quite well.

The door to the blacksmiths swung open, and a well built man with dark skin and a bushy beard stood behind the counter to greet them. "Well, this is the most customers I've had here at one time," he said, voice filled with a sense of age and wisdom. "So, what can I do for you high-born folk?"

"Well, first off," Louise began, "we need a sword for this guy here," she gestured to Corrin, "a lance of sorts for her," her hand moved to Azura, "and some knives for the pink maid. And if possible, some improvements for the others here, if the budget allows it."

"Oh? Nobles with a preference to blades? And here I thought I'd seen everything," the smith commented, stroking his beard. "Well, where would you like to start?"

"We shall look at your finest available, and work our way down from there."

"Ah, then I have just the blade for you to start with," the blacksmith reached below the counted, and pulled out a very fancy looking sword. The sheath was a handsome chestnut brown, lined with traces of gold, the guard shaped as if it were dragon wings, with a ruby adorned where guard met sheath, and on the hilt sat a rather large diamond. "This is the best I've got, created by a famed Germanian alchemist." He held the sword out to Corrin. "Go on, lad, take a gander."

With a slight hesitation, Corrin grabbed the handle, and drew the sword. It was truly a sight to behold, as the blade itself, much like the rest of it, was gold in make, with ancient runes running along the centre. Corrin stared at it in marvel, whilst analysing it silently, as Xander had taught him to do. It was beautiful to look at, sure, but the weight distribution was off, focused more around the grip, rather than the blade. Plus, Corrin knew that gold was a soft material, and as such, wasn't good for weaponry. "It's a nice sword, to be sure," Corrin finally spoke, "but I don't think it's the one for me. It feels like it might break if it so much as gets swung in the general direction of a shield."

The blacksmith let out a hearty chuckle. "You've a good eye there, lad," he said. "It's true, even though that blade there's been enhanced, even I doubt it would last long." Taking the sword back, he returned it to it's place beneath the counter. "Well, everything else you'd have interest in is already on display. If you need help with smaller weapons, just ask."

Louise looked a little indignant, but none paid it much mind, as they broke off into little groups to examine the weapons in stock.

Felicia and the smith began talking about the types of knives she was looking for, ones that could effectively be used at short range, whilst also good for long ranged combat.

Off at the far end, Azura and Silas were browsing the collection of lances and spears. "I have to say," Silas began, "this is quite the selection available."

"Quite so," Azura replied, "although, I'm far more accustomed to using a Naginata, if I'm to be picky."

"I can't say I'm surprised, seeing as though you've lived in Hoshido most of your life."

The two shared a smile, glad to at least be able to converse on some level.

Corrin, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought, as he stared at a barrel containing a variety of swords.

 _'There's something there,'_ he thought, _'something... calling.'_ He couldn't put the idea into any other words, other than that. Slowly, his left hand hovered over the pommels of each blade, until it instinctively grabbed one in particular. Drawing the weapon from its brethren, he examined the find.

It was... incredibly rusty, could easily be a century old, maybe two. It was a single edged blade, reminding Corrin of the iron katana's he had seen in Hoshido. The guard was made of a mixture of brass and copper, and the grip wrapped in aged leather. Corrin wondered how he knew that much about the blade, but at the same time, was interested in how it felt in his hand.

It felt comfortable, simple.

It felt right.

"That one caught your eye?" the smith called to him. "He's an old one, but he's been able to hold his own this long."

"He's?" Corrin repeated, finding the choice of pronoun odd for a sword.

"Well, of course I'm a' he', what did you expect?" the sword answered for the smith.

Sword. Answered.

It took several moments for that idea to finally sink in, and everyone to react accordingly.

"It... he... talks." Corrin was completely out of words to use. "Why... how, does he talk?"

"Question I've been asking myself for a few millennia," the sword replied. "Name's Derflinger, by the way."

Corrin quickly snapped out of his funk. "Oh, right. It's nice to meet you, I'm Corrin."

"Corrin, huh? Ain't heard a name like that in a long time."

Before Corrin could pry further into that response, Felicia made the proclamation that she had made her selection, and Azura followed shortly thereafter, in a much calmer manner.

Corrin let out a quiet chuckle. "Well, I guess we have our choices, then."

* * *

Winds howled through the Bottomless Canyon, as footsteps echoed heavily upon them.

King Garon stood upon the edge of the cliff, with Bolverk in hand. He could feel the slipping control 'that monster' had on him loosen further still. _'Ideal,'_ he thought, _'at least this way, I have less to worry about.'_

His grip on the axe tightened, and he took the first step toward the unknowable.

* * *

The day was finally coming to a close, and just about everyone couldn't be happier about it.

Well, Louise could have, as she was still irritated about the blacksmith and the golden sword. For now, though, they had reconvened in Louise's room, which, admittedly, was a bit small for a group of their size, no help given by the red and blue duo that was waiting for them upon their arrival.

The blue of these two, Corrin instantly knew to be Tabitha. Understanding, that she were to be here, as she was present when Mott was, let's say, disposed of. This dark skinned, red haired woman, on the other hand, only Louise really knew, and it was immediately apparent she didn't like her.

This woman, was Kirche von Zerbst, and something about her reminded Corrin a bit of Camilla his older Nohrian sister.

"Come now, Zero," Kirche spoke in a sultry voice, the same golden sword from earlier today pressed between her... assets. "What's wrong with getting someone a little gift to show just how... special, they are to me?"

Make that several similarities. Though, in Camilla's defence, she wasn't as provocative as this woman.

"Zerbst, I swear to the Founder, lay off my Fami... friend!" Louise shouted, attempting to not call Corrin a Familiar, lest she invoke the wrath of Jakob.

"Please, what's wrong with sharing friends?" Kirche retorted calmly, holding the sword out to Corrin. "Besides, I'm sure my blade is far better than that scrap you call metal."

 _'I need to get out of here,'_ Corrin thought, desperately glancing around for any kind of escape route. Just then, an idea arrived. Quickly, he turned to Silas. "Hey, Silas, mind if we talk about something in private quickly?" Without even waiting for a response, he grabbed the cavalier by the shoulders, and quickly left the room.

The door slammed shut, and Corrin let out a sigh. "That was... quite something," Silas commented.

"You're telling me," Corrin replied. "She was like Camilla, only less restrained."

"That's certainly a terrifying thought," Silas chuckled. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Corrin thought of what words to use. "Well, there's no way to put this kindly," he began. "You say your my friend, but I can't for the life of me recall when we met."

"Is that it?" Silas replied with a kind smile. "It's no problem, really. We used to play together when we were little. You use to talk about how much you wanted to leave the fortress, that I packed up a picnic and tried to sneak you out. Unfortunately, we were caught, and I was banned from ever seeing you again." Silas' gaze began to wander, as he recalled those fond memories. "I even became a knight, so that one day, we might meet again, and here we are!"

Corrin thought hard on the story he was told, finding it to spark a memory long since left dormant. "Silas... it's all so..." that spark soon became a flame, and the memories rushed back to the prince. "Of course, I do recall such a person!"

Silas looked overjoyed. "Thank the Gods for that, it would have been a real bummer to be the only one to remember."

The two shared a brief laugh, before a shout was heard on the other side of the door. Glancing at each other, Corrin quickly opened the door.

"What happened?" he asked. "I mean, this time."

Azura was the first to address them. "Kirche was... kind, I suppose, to remind Louise of an upcoming Familiar Talent show of sorts."

"Familiar... Talent show?" Corrin repeated.

"Oh, it's quite something, darling," Kirche replied, causing Jakob, of all people, to cringe. "It's a demonstration of just how close a Mage has gotten to his or her Familiar. Considering the Zero summoned a human, we can safely assume that she'll come dead last."

Louise was practically fuming at Kirche's provocations. "Well, that just means we have to find something that'll work," Corrin said calmly. "Are there any restrictions on this thing?"

Louise took a few deep breaths. "The only real restriction is that the performance can only have one person, noble or commoner, as an assistant. Anything else if fair game."

"Fair game, huh?" Corrin began to ponder. What could he do for something like this? He wasn't really comfortable with showing off his Dragon-form to an audience, though not against it, and his swordplay wouldn't get him far. Then, an idea struck him. "Azura, could I borrow you for a while?"

Said princess rose a brow. "Of course, but what for?"

"I'll explain in a moment," and without another word, he all but dragged Azura out of the room, leaving the rest in confusion.

"Wonder what idea he has planned?" Felicia commented.

"I don't know, but I hope it works," Louise muttered. "The talent show's not far off."

* * *

Upon neutral ground, sixteen individuals sat around a table, all trying their best not to glare daggers into the others.

One particular individual, a grey haired mercenary by the name of Laslow, rubbed his temple in dismay. "This is actually going nowhere," he muttered. "We're trying to work together, in order to find our lords, yet all we seem to do is bicker like children."

"And you're saying you, yourself, are above that?" a red haired ninja, Saizo, spoke in a poorly masked venom.

"That's not what I'm getting at," Laslow replied, "but what I am getting at, is the fact that we have far more important things to do than throw shade at each other. We should be focusing on the common factor between us."

His words, however, didn't seem to be getting anyone anywhere. The fashionable spear fighter from Hoshido, Oboro, continued to glare menacingly at each and every Nohrian present, nothing to say about that absolutely terrifying face she was making.

Laslow was starting to think this 'alliance' wasn't going to work.

* * *

That day, which Louise had come to dread, had finally arrived.

The Familiar Showcase, well, more like a talent show, really. Nobles from all across the kingdoms, including Tristain's very own queen and princess, were present to watch the current generation of nobles show off their familiars.

Even if Corrin could change into a dragon, that didn't change the fact that he was still a person, and that there have been no real records of humanoid Familiars.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that she was fretting like a mad thing.

"Do try to relax, Miss Louise," Jakob spoke. "All you have to worry about, is going on stage, introducing my lord, and letting him handle the rest."

"That easy for you to say," Louise muttered, "you don't have an already abysmal reputation on the line."

Before Jakob could comment, the announcer of choice for this event, Colbert, to no ones surprise, called upon the next contestant, Louise. "Well, time to face the music," Jakob said. "Break a leg, short stuff."

Louise pouted slightly at the comment, if only to suppress the slightest smile, that through Corrin, she had managed to make such... interesting friendships.

As she stepped up on stage, she could feel her heart beating like horse hooves on the track. She could hear the murmurs from the audience, comments of why the Zero was up without her familiar.

Taking a deep breath, she raised one hand, and as she was told to do by Corrin, clicked her fingers once.

A loud thud from behind, a looming shadow, and the stunned silence of the audience filled Louise with confidence. "Lords and ladies of Halkeginia," she spoke with her new confidence, "allow me to present my Familiar, Corrin." Turning around, Louise noted that, as planned, Azura was perched upon Corrin's back. Gazing into his eyes, wherever they were on that dragon head of his, Louise nodded. "The floor is yours."

Louise stepped to the side, Azure leapt from her seat, and Corrin initiated part two of the plan: Transform into human form.

The audience were stunned further, to the point where they'd have to pick their jaws off the floor.

Standing up straight, Corrin cast a glance Azura's way, just as she did the same. Tapping their feet to a 4-4 beat, both began to sing.

 **[Track Set: Lost in Thoughts all alone. But you knew that was coming]**

" _You are the oceans grey waves, destined to seek. Life beyond the shore, just out of reach."_ Azura's voice lead the duo, as both moved slowly to the song.

" _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time. The path is yours to climb."_ Corrin continued the verse. Louise was actually surprised that Corrin had such a potent voice for singing.

Azura took centre stage, and Corrin knelt down, just as rehearsed. _"In the white light, a hand reaches through."_ Azura held her hand out in emphasis. _"A double edged blade cuts your heart in two. Waking dreams fade away, embrace the brand new day."_

Azura took two steps back, and Corrin rose. _"Sing with me a song, of Birthrights and love. The light scatters to the sky above."_ Both prince and princess sung together, and Louise could feel the amount of emotion carried in every word. _"Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone, lost in thoughts all alone."_

As Louise closed her eyes to focus on the song, she felt as if she were seeing something other. Before her were four individuals, people she had not met before, yet she felt a yearning for them. A man in red armour, a woman with red hair, a man in blue with grey hair, and a girl around her age with pink hair cut short.

" _You are the oceans grey waves, destined to seek. Life beyond the shore, just out of reach."_ The beginning verse picked up again, and Louise snapped out of her stupor. Slowly, she gazed at the audience.

" _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time. The path is yours to climb."_ As she had been hoping, the audience were captivated by the song, some even slowly rocking themselves to the soothing tune.

" _Embrace the dark, you call a home."_ This time, it was Corrin to take lead, and the song began feeling less like minuet, and more akin to a bolero. _"Gaze upon an empty, white throne. A legacy of lies, a familiar disguise."_

Louise's eyes closed once more, as the main verse picked up, and Azura stood once more. _"Sing with me a song, of Conquest and fate. The black pillar cracks beneath its weight."_ Another image appeared in her mind, of four different people, no doubt close to Corrin. They looked like they could all be related, compared to the last four. The eldest male had blonde hair, dressed in black armour, and had a stern, yet kindly look on his features, much like a father. The elder of the two girls had lilac hair, and a figure and baring that reminder her of her own sister, Cattleya. The next one over, another male, looked like a younger version of the first, not as muscularly built, but carrying an air of intellect. The last was a young girl with blonde hair, no older than Louise, with a very cheerful demeanour. _"Night breaks through the day, hard as a stone. Lost in thoughts all alone."_

Louise opened her eyes once more, and finally took note on something particular: This whole time, both Azura and Corrin had been leaving suspended trails of water in the air. Every move they made, from their feet to their hands, was tracing water along the air.

" _The path you walk on belongs to destiny,"_ the song continued sombrely, _"Just let if flow. All of your joy and your pain, will fall like the tide. Let it flow."_

Azura stepped forth first, and carried the next line herself. _"Life is not just filled with happiness, nor sorrow."_

" _Even the thorn in your heart,"_ Corrin picked up, _"in time it may become a rose."_

The emotion that Louise was feeling from this one song was almost too much for her to bear. She could feel so much coming from just two performers, that a single tear escaped her eyes.

" _A burdened heart sinks into the ground."_ Lyrics picked up once more, and Louise saw an open field, upon which the eight she saw before were up in arms against each other, with her caught in the middle. _"A veil falls away without a sound."_ In this vision, Louise was not in control, as she saw, or at least felt, her body trying to intervene with the two groups. _"Not day nor night, wrong nor right. For truth and peace you fight."_

The vision of war ended, and in its place, was a massive dragon, a ball with several eyes in its mouth. _"Sing with me a song, of silence and blood. The rain falls, but can't wash away the mud."_ Why. Why did Louise fill sympathy, or was it pity, for this dragon that terrified her so? _"Within my ancient heart dwells, madness and pride. Can no one hear my cries?"_ Perhaps that was why. Unable to scream, because of this maddening thing called pride.

" _You are the oceans grey waves, destined to seek. Life beyond the shore, just out of reach."_ The finale began, and the water the duet had been tracing spanned across the audience, engulfing all in its azure light. _"Yet, the waters ever change, flowing like time. The path is yours to climb."_

The light faded, and Corrin and Azura stood back to back, his left hand entwined with her right, whilst holding their free hand out towards the audience, as if to invite them up. _"You are the oceans grey waves."_

 **[Track End]**

The song finished, the singers gave a bow, and after a good minute of stunned silence, what followed was a standing ovation.

Louise herself could not form any sort of thought to give, it was all just too much for her. As she, followed closing by Corrin and Azura, stepped off the stage, Colbert gave the expected speech of the audience casting their votes for whom they believe won, and that they would finish tallying them up within the hour.

Rejoining the rest of their little group, there was nothing but praise to be thrown around. Maybe not to Louise, but the proxy system for Familiars still applied here, she told herself.

"I must say, my lord," Jakob spoke first, "I had no idea that you had such a magnificent singing voice."

Corrin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, it helped to have such a good teacher."

"Considering you did all this with only a week to prepare," Nyx said, "I'm inclined to agree."

* * *

An hour of calming banter was passed between the group, before all nobles and their Familiars were called to the stage for the award ceremony.

The order was as such: a series of thusly unknown students and their uneventful Familiars, Montmorency and her frog, Guiche and his mole, Tabitha and Sylphid, Kirche and Flame, and finally, Louise and Corrin.

"Now, let's preface this by saying, no one saw this turnabout coming in any way," Colbert addressed everyone. "With such a stunning performance, it would be impossible to say this award goes to anyone else." Mild tension was in the air, hearts were beating fast. "The winner of this years Familiar Showcase is..." of course, Colbert had to pause for dramatic effect. "Louise, and her Familiar, Corrin!"

* * *

The remainder of the day passed quicker than Louise thought possible, but then again, she had been in a daze for the last few hours.

She... no, they, had won, where by all accounts, it should not have been possible.

Yet, the trophy, the proof of their victory, sat upon the small table in her room.

Sitting down at the other end of the bed, Corrin let out an exhausted sigh. "Man, what a day."

"You're telling me," Silas commented. "Why didn't you tell us that you could sing so well?"

"Well, I couldn't before," Corrin replied, "I just had a good teacher, is all."

"I feel as if that's not all there is to it," Jakob stated. "One does not simply get that good from a weeks practice."

"Jakob, trust me, it was training from hell."

The boys continued to converse as such, whilst the girls continued to watch in mild amusement.

"Miss Louise," Felicia spoke, snapping the student out of her stupor, "is everything alright? You've been in a daze for quite a while."

"Yeah, I'm just..." Louise tried to find the words to describe the feeling. "I'm not use to such things. Winning, that is." The other girls gave raised brows in response. "I mean, I know I didn't do anything to contribute to such a victory, but..."

"Since you are technically Corrin's master, it counts as a win to you via proxy," Nyx finished. "It's an understandable feeling, having things not go your way for the longest time, only for the fates to finally show kindness to you."

"Ah, miss Nyx is so wise," Felicia commented in awe.

"It is natural," Nyx commented off-handedly, "I am much older than you, after all."

Flora let out a sigh. "Felicia does tend to get awe-stricken easily," she muttered, turning to Louise. "Well, even if this feeling you have wears off, and those people go back to their teasing, it's not like you'll lose us."

"But, how can you be sure," Louise questioned. "What's to say that, in any of the coming days, you'll just start teasing me for being the 'Zero'?"

"Well," this time, Azura spoke up, "we'd be pretty lousy friends if we did, wouldn't we?"

There was a unanimous agreement to the statement, and Louise lost all her words. Friends. She had long been unfamiliar with such a concept, and yet, here she now was, surrounded by seven people and a dragon, all of which claiming to be her friend without hesitation.

Louise allowed herself a small smile, staring up at the roof.

Perhaps, she could indulge in this feeling called friendship.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Well, that was a cheesy ending to this chapter.**

 **That aside, next chapter should have more to do with Garon and the retainers, seeing as though I gave team Corrin such a long run.**

 **Also, I know some of you may have seen that Lost in Thoughts all alone part coming, there's just no way people couldn't have.**


End file.
